Chapter 6: The Social and Emotional Benefits of Reading Together

It is important for children to develop a strong sense of self in general, and as a reader. Children need opportunities to develop autonomy (through choice and demonstrating that they can do things independently) and competence (through completing tasks successfully), and reading together can be an avenue for the development of these skills. Children who struggle with reading and academics often do not develop these skills adequately, so structuring reading time to boost these skills can actually be a wonderful intervention for less confident readers. We can also build confident and persistent readers by helping children develop growth mindsets, and recognizing that hard work pays off (rather than seeing ability as fixed). Reading together also gives you an opportunity to talk with your child about emotions and taking the perspective of other people. Studies have found that when adults talk more about the emotions characters in books experience, children are also more likely to use emotional vocabulary. And books can provide a wonderful way to talk about experiences that may be on the horizon for your child (starting a new school, having a new sibling) or issues that your child has yet to experience but can benefit from talking about (discrimination, bullying).